Wagon.



No.'835,785. PATENTBD NOV. 13, 1906. H. J. FBRRIS.

WAGON.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12. 1905.

2 sasnrs-snnm 1 PATENTED NOV. 13, 1906.

H. J. PBRRIS.

WAGON.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 12. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED s'r Es PATENT orrion.

HOWARD J. reams, or HARVARD, ILLINOIS. ASSIGNOR To HUNT, HELM,

FERRIS & COMPANY, or HARVARD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

WAGON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To (all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, HOWARD J. Fmnus, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Harvard, in the county of McHenry and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wagons, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wagons, and is fully described and explained in this specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved wagon. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof with the tongue removed. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan of the front axle and steering 1nechanism. Fig. L is a top plan of the single hound of my improved device. Fig. 5 is a detailed side elevation of the same, and Fig. 6 is a detailed perspective view of a steeringknuckle and the adjacent parts.

Referring to the drawings, A is a wagonbody of any desired form, the rear end of which issupportcd by wheels (1, arranged in any ordinary manner. At the front of the wagon-body is an arch B, preferably of outwanlly-l'iu'iug channel-iron. At the lower and outer ends of the arch B are knuckle-fittings C, the construction of which is best seen in Fig. 6, from which it will be noted that each ol the knuclthr-iiltings is provided with a curved upright portion 0, which lies in the curve of the channel-iron and is secured thereto by means oia bolt c. At the lower portion ol the lmucklcdiiiing U is an inwardly-cxlending portion c having an up wardly-prr jccting car c, between which and the upright portion lies the channel-iron. By means ol this construction the lower portion of the kmu-lilc-litling is secured to the channel-iron without the necessity of any 1' ianual manipulation whatever, the fitting being merely slipped into place and the upper bolt. being secured in place. The ears 0" and theupright portion c of the knuckle-fitting are both perforated For the passage. of an axle l), which extends across the arch B and is. se aired at its ends thereto by pins 0", passing through the axle and the ears a Braces E run from the knuckle-fittings to the center of the wagon-bed some distance behind the point of lLttiMf-lllllfillt of the arch B, so that a particularly rigid bracing thereof is secured.

To the center of the axle D is secured a pivot-fitting l having an upwardly-projecting pin f, upon which is swiveled a single hound G, the form and construction of which is'clearly illustrated in the drawings. The forward end of: the hound G is bifurcated to form ears 9, between which is pivoted a tongue H, which can be used to draw the wagon in the ordinary Wag or which can be swung up against the wagon-bed and used to steer the same as a coasting-wagon;

Each of the knuckle-fittings C is provided with two laterally-extending ears a between which are pivoted vertical posts I, each of which is provided with a preferably inte al laterally-projecting shaft 1 and a forwardl projecting ear 1*. The cars l are connected by links 1' with the hound G, as illustrated. J indicates the front wheels of the vehicle, which are journaled upon the laterally-ex tending shafts I. It will be obvious that by \'means of this connection the two wheels of the vehicle can be swung simultaneously in either direction by means of the tongue, so

Patented Nov. 13, 1906.

that the vehicle can be steered successfully in either of the ways above suggested.

- My device is particularly advantageous in a toy-wagon for a number of reasons. With the ordinary toy wa on heretofore made, the same being ordinarily provided with a kingbolt steering apparatus, the weak point has always been the front axle, which is. necessarily made of comparatively light material in order to keep the price of the vehicle within proper range for a toy construction and which is subjected to shocks wholly out of proportion to its strength. It is highly de-.

sirable to produce a wagon which can be constructed at a low cost, of comparatively cheap materials, and w thout an excess of manual labor, which \Vlll have a front axle and steering mechanism capable of withstanding .ex-

,tremcly hard wear. With the kin -bolt construction it is possible to brace t e axle to the bed only at the center, for this is the only stationary point, and even such a brace must be swiveled to the axle in some manner. On the other hand, with my construction the ends of the axle can be braced with braces running to the center of the device, so that the axle while still made of comparatively light material is capable of withstanding any ordinary shocl; without dilliculty. The manner in which the knuckle-fittings are se cured to the ends of the arch and to the axle is particularly simple, so that the entire tween the letersllyextending esrs on the httmgs, and mechemsm for rote-tmg the shafts m e horizontal plane. The comometlon with a structure can be assembl d with 2; very sligh amount of manual labor.

l realise that cons1defsble variation is pee fomted ears on the inside of the arches though/which the ends of the axles peas, slmltsswiveled between the laterally-extending ears of the fitting,'wl1eels journsled on the shafts and mechanism for rotating the shafts in a horizontal lene:

In witness whereof he *e'signed'the above spplicstion'ttoe Letters Patent, at Harvard, in the eoulntyol Me/Hemryand? Stem of lollinoistbis day of September, A. l). 1905.

deeme essms.

.e eomo e stlon with s 1. In s toy Wagon, r

fie veimcel support weg'ondaody', of e, s rigidly secured to the meet endthereof, an axle securedto the lower end ol said support, knuckle-fittings secured to the support, shafts pivoted in the knuckles, Wheels journsled on the shafts, it hound swiveled at the center of the axle, e tongee'comleeted to the bound and mes-ms of connection loetween the tongue and shafts.

2. In spdeviee combination with a; suitable sible in the details of this construction withl Wagon-body, out departing from the spirit of the invention, 1 of so etch extending d ownwsrdly therefrom, e and I therefore do not intend to limit ro sel l on sxle extending through the lower ends of to the specific form herein shown and del the arch, knuckle-fittings having vertical scribed portions lying outside of the arches, in-

I claim as new and desire to secure by Let werdlyextending portions at the lower ends tere Patentof the arches, and upwardly-extending pee 3 5 of'tll'e class, described, the v arch, of kmxekle fittings hevinfg leterellyextending' "ears and l dW'itnesses: notches at th'elrilower ends to 'recewethe E. G;

lower epdeof-the errih, shafts jom-neled' bei E. Di Gnomes: 

